Shoe-polisher.



PATENTED NOV. 8, 1904.

No. 774,380. F. A. CUTTER.

SHOE POLISHER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29, 1903.

nwwroz amine mes L la/ K a W UNITED STATES iatented. November 8, 1904..4

PATENT OFFICE.

SHOE-POLISHER.

SBECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 774,380, dated November8, 1904.

Application filed 'iprii 29,1903. Serial No. 154,843. (No model.) I

:0 fI/ZZ It'll/1171b it "may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK A. CUTTER, a citi- Zen of the United States,residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and Commonwealth ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Shoe-Polisher, of whichthe following is a specification.

. My invention relates to improvements in gloss-producing devices forboots and shoes to be used in place of the ordinary paste or liquidblackings and polishes, as hereinafter set forth; and the objects of myimprove ment are, first, to furnish a reliable and efficient substitutefor the well-known forms of boot and shoe polish which is compact, notliable to soil promiscuously objects with which it happens to come incontact, convenient, and unaffected to any appreciable extent or to anextent that is detrimental by changes in ten'iperature; second, toprovide such a substitute which not only does away with the small brushor sponge commonly employed to apply the polish in the first instance,but may also supplant the large brush used with some polishes to producethe shiny effect, and, third, to provide a material or articlepossessing the foregoing advantages in a practicable, economical, andserviceable form.

A preferred method and means of carrying out my invention is set forthbelow, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1is a side view of a polisher comprising a long strip of properly-treatedfabric and another strip of moisture or grease proof paper wound uponand securedto a block; Fig. 2, an end view of the same; Fig. 3, across-section on lines a 0, Fig. 1; Fig. 4:, a side view of a devicesimilar to the one shown in Fig. 1, except that a plurality of strips offabric and paper are used, the same being applied only to three of thefour edges of the block; Fig. 5, a plan view of a simple form of thedevice, the same consisting merely of a strip of fabric, one-half beingtreated with polishing material; and Fig. 6, an end View of amodification which includes a loose shineproducing cloth.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

By preference a strip or piece of fabric or other absorbent substance isused as a base and saturated with a suitable liquid polish or smeared orcoated with a suitable paste polish, which in either case is permittedto dry into or on said base in such a manner that there shall be a thinlayer or coating at the surface on one or both sides. The liquid orpaste polish used must beofsuch nature and composition that it willunder ordinary conditions remain substantially dry after application tothe base, but adapted to be softened by, the application of moisture,the wellknown Trilby polish being an example of a suitable liquidpolish. Now by rubbing the prepared side of the material or article thusmade over a boot or shoe, moistening the treated surface with saliva orotherwise, if necessary, the polish contained therein and thereon istransferred to the surface of said boot or shoe. I find in manyinstances sufficient polish may be transferred from'the polisher to theshoe without either being moistened to produce the desired polish.

By absorbent substance any substance is meant that has a surfacestructure to which a limited quantity of polish can be successfullyapplied in the manner and for the purpose above described.

Suitable russet or tan and other polishes, including that which iscommonly known as blacking, can be used in producing the improvedmaterial or article. Some of these polishes may require no subsequentrubbing to produce the shiny effect after being applied to the footwear,and with such the part about to be described is not required; butordinarily it is necessary or desirable to rub the boot or shoe afterthe polish has been applied to cause it to shine, provision for whichcan be made by leaving a portion or portions of the base free frompolish, as an end or the side opposite that which is treated withpolish. Thus after transferring the polish from the treated surface ofthe base to the footwear said base is turned to bring anon-treated partinto service and rubbed briskly over the boot or shoe until the propershiny effect is produced. A strip of fabric is shown in Fig. 5 which isdivided into a polish-treated part a and a nontreated sliinenoducingpart I). It is plain, of course, that no provision for shining with. thepolish-applying material or article need be made from necessity,although preferred, as a separate cloth or brush can be used in theabsence of any such provision. In practice it is desirable rather thantreat a single base or strip with sufiicient polish for a number ofshines to provide for the desired number by arranging a plurality ofsuch strips or lengths of strips in layers held together in any suitableand well-known manner and generally mounted on a more or less inflexiblesupport, either with or without the untreated shine-producing part, eachof which is good for one or more shines and is torn or pulled off andthrown away after being used up. Sheets or strips of moisture and greaseproof paper may be inserted between the layers which form the pad justdescribed and one placed over the bottom or outside for the purpose ofisolating the polish-treated material and protecting adjacent objects,the bottom or outside length being removed when it is desired to use thearticle. 4

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the polisher is shown as made up of a support orblock 0, having long strips of polish-treated material a and moistureand grease proof paperd wound around the edges thereof and held in placeby means of staples driven through said strips into the ends of saidblock, shine-producing pieces 7), of felt or other suitable material,being glued or otherwise fastened to the sides of the block. Pieces bareshown on both sides of the block 0, but only one need be provided, and,as hereinbefore noted, such pieces may be dispensed with entirely. Anyother suitable means may be substituted for the staples to fasten thestrips a and (Z to the block. In operation the polisher is held by thesides, and the reach of the part of the strip a which has been exposedby first tearing off the contiguous outer strip of paper is rubbed overthe shoe, after which the device is turned so as to apply one of thepieces 6 to the shoe. After the supply of polishing material has beenexhausted from the exposed surfaces of the strip a such parts of saidstrip are torn or cut off with the contiguous portions of the paperstrip (Z, so as to expose fresh reaches of the strip a for use.

The polisher shown in Fig. 4 comprises the same members as have alreadybeen described, only instead of using single strips of polishtreatedmaterial and paper a plurality of shorter strips are employed, and thesedo not extend over the upper edge of the block. The shine-producingpiece I) in this case may be affixed to the top of the block instead ofthe sides, if desired.

In order to prevent the soiling of the hands, especially with the formof polisher shown in the first three figures, a shine-producing piece 7)of suflicientlength to wrap about the block and attached strips may beprovided, as shown in Fig. 6. The piece 6 has one end firmly attached toone side of the block 0, which latter in this case may be a little widerthan the strip a and is long enough to be wrapped entirely around theoutside of the rest of the device, but can be turned back for thepurpose of exposing either one of the outer lengths or reaches ofpolish-treated material. After the polish has been applied to the shoethe piece L is rearranged, so as to be conveniently used as ashine-producer.

In place of the body or block 0, which is preferably of wood, anysuitable support may be provided for the polish-treated material.

Polishers without the paper (Z may be made up in a similar manner tothat illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. As anew article of manufacture, a glossproducing device consisting ofa suitable base of comparatively thin flexible material partiallytreated with a limited amount of normally dry polish adapted to betransferred therefrom to footwear by the process of rubbing, anotherportion of said base being left untreated and adapted by frictionalcontact with the footwear to produce a shiny effect after the polish hasbeen applied.

2. A shoe-polisher comprising detachable layers of polish-treated stripsadapted to blacken or polish footwear, and asupport for such strips.

8. A shoe-polisher comprising a support, detachable layers of polishtreated strips adapted to blacken or polish footwear, and alternatedetachable layers of moisture or grease proof paper, both kinds oflayers being initially attached to said support.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK A. CUTTER.

Witnesses:

S. TAFT, DEXTER E. TILLEY.

ICC

